Today was the last full day of this amazing week. We started with an early breakfast before setting out for the Amazon Nature Park, a large parcel of private, protected land adjacent to Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Local guides rowed us in “catamaran” canoes across a small lake to begin our hike in the forest. We spotted many incredible creatures, mushrooms, and plants along the way, and we even got to see the remarkable sap of the rubber tree. Our hike included a section with nine suspension bridges in the mid-canopy, some up to 90 feet high. It was a wonderful way to get a new perspective on the forest. After returning to the ship and having a delicious lunch, we watched a large group of both pink and gray river dolphins fishing near our boat. Some adventurous souls went out for one last swim, this time in the Rio Pucate. Dolphins swam nearby. We went out in the late afternoon for one last skiff ride together as storm clouds filled the sky. It never rained on us, however, and we enjoyed spotting saddleback tamarins, blue-and-yellow macaws, and long-nosed bats. It’s been an incredible experience this past week!
10/2/2024
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Delfin II
Dorado Forest and Pacaya River
We are in the furthest region of the Ucayali River at the heart of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Today we looked for large flocks of cormorants, more monkeys, pink dolphins, and many other species of birds in this vast forest. This part of the reserve is just amazing as there is wildlife in abundance. As we explored the forest along the river, we spotted hundreds of cormorants, large-billed terns, and flocks of macaws! Today we did our special night outing! Mother nature rewarded us with the best show of the reserve. A little after sunset we spotted a family of capibaras foraging along the riverbank. We also saw many baby caimans coming out of the grass and resting in shallow water. As an added bonus, we spent time watching a family of red howler monkeys gathering in the last hour of sunlight, ready to sleep in the shelter of a big tree. What a day!